Thoughts, links, inside information and program previews from the host of Chicagoland's premier local-access political talk show.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Better than Bears' Monday Night Football:Roskam-Duckworth-Bush

Watch a "Public Affairs," exclusive with President Bush tonight throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm. on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV]. Watch a "Public Affairs," exclusive this week in the Chicago metro suburbs with 6th CD candidates Sen. Peter Roskam and Major Tammy Duckworth . *******************************************************"Public Affairs," is featuring this week in the Chicago metro suburbs an exclusive televised airing of portions of last week's WBEZ Chicago Public Radio debate and portions of the follow-up press conferences with 6th CD candidates Sen. Peter Roskam [R-Wheaton] and Major Tammy Duckworth [D-Hoffman Estates]. See, below, for the Public Affairs suburban airing schedule. ****************************************************************Tonight's City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs features President George W. Bush, speaking on October 12 at a funder in the Chicago Loop for 8th CD Republican candidate for Congress David McSweeney [Barrington Hills] and 6th CD Republican candidate for Congress State Sen. Peter Roskam [Wheaton]. Aon Executive Chairman Pat Ryan introduces Speaker Hastert, who in turn introduces President Bush. The President spoke, among other issues, about the economy, tax cuts,the tools necessary to fight terrorism , national security, the upcoming mid-term elections and winning in Iraq. See here for a complete transcript of the President's Remarks. ************************************************* The "Public Affairs," podcast page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," including interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Governor Rod Blagojevich and his Republican Challenger- Judy Baar Topinka, a debate between 27th Senate District candidates Peter Gutzmer [D-Hoffman Estates] and Matt Murphy [R-Palatine], 8th CD candidates Bean, McSweeney and Scheurer and many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Watch here]. ***************************************************Jeff Berkowitz: We take you to a fundraiser featuring George W. Bush. The fundraiser was to raise money for sixth district Republican congressional candidate Peter Roskam [Wheaton] and 8th district Republican congressional candidate David McSweeney [Barrington Hills]. You’ll start out and see Pat Ryan, chairman of AON Corporation, a long standing and well known Republican in the Illinois community. And, he introduces Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, who in turn introduces the President, who spoke to an intimate crowd of three hundred people. You’ll see they’re standing in a pretty small room and they’re pretty close up to the President.

Berkowitz: These folks paid big bucks to see the President, so perhaps they got what they paid for. The buzz in the last few weeks has been about Mark Foley and his salacious emails, but the Presidential message was quite different. It’s about tax cuts and prosperity. He says Democrats oppose those tax cuts and that they want to take them away. The Presidential message is about liberty, freedom, democracy and national security. The President is talking about winning in Iraq, not like Senator Barack Obama, who is talking about stabilizing things. He wants to win. He says the United States can still do it.

Berkowitz: President Bush is talking about terror, surveillance, interrogation of detainees and the monitoring of [terrorist] communications. He says Democrats in the House opposed all that. The President has been on offense and he says it’s important to stay on offense, offense for the United States and offense for the Republican Party. We’ll see if he can take Republicans on offense as we go into the closing three weeks of the mid-term election on November 7th. The question is, can the President sell that to the American people? We know he can sell that to the Republican base, who might be watching this evening, but can he sell it to the American people, or as presidents like to say, to “My fellow Americans.”

Berkowitz: … we discuss, you decide. Enjoy the fundraiser. You’re seeing it for nothing, only the value of your time. Those folks that paid to see it—they paid big bucks. And, after you watch the President’s speech, we’ll be back with closing comments. Enjoy the show. ************************************************* Patrick Ryan, Executive chairman of AON: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the welcome, and thank you for supporting this wonderful event tonight. Your support really makes a difference, and is greatly appreciated. I have the pleasure of introducing Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, who is the longest-serving Speaker in the history of the US House of Representatives.

Patrick Ryan: As we hit the long stretch of this very lively campaign season, there’s no one we would rather have leading it than Speaker Hastert. He has been diligently working on behalf of Republican candidates all over the country and of course he’s been working extremely hard on behalf of two outstanding candidates, Peter [Roskam, 6th CD candidate] and David [McSweeney, 8th CD candidate]. And we all appreciate that. So I’m proud to introduce the Speaker of the House, and my good friend, Denny Hastert.

Speaker Denny Hastert: Thank you Pat, for your tireless work. You’ve taken a lot of leadership in helping with this event tonight. And folks, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor and always a privilege to introduce this man. He is the President of the U.S. He is our friend. He is our leader. George W. Bush, President of the United States.*********************************************** President Bush:

...In other words, we've been giving people the tools necessary to protect the homeland, and our Democrat colleagues back in Washington have taken a very different approach to the war on terror. There is a difference of opinion. I'm not questioning anybody's patriotism or love for America. But I am questioning their view of how best to protect you. And this is an issue in this campaign. If the security of the United States is the most important issue, then part of this issue is which party has been willing to step upand give those charged with protecting you the tools necessary to do so.

In each vote a clear pattern has emerged on which party can best protect the American people. More than 75 percent of the House Democrats voted to block the renewal of the Patriot Act. Almost 80 percent of the House Democrats voted against allowing the CIA to continue the interrogation program. Almost 90 percent of the House Democrats voted against continuing to monitor terrorist communications through the Terrorist Surveillance Program. Rarely has a single series of votes summed up the difference between the two political parties so clearly. If the Democrats' Congress had their way, we wouldn't have had the Patriot Act or the interrogation program, or the Terrorist Surveillance Program. They can run from this record, but we're not going to let them hide. (Applause.)

You know, I was -- recently read where the Democrat leader said this. She said, ‘The midterm elections should not be about national security.’ I strongly disagree… See here for a complete transcript of the President's Remarks. ****************************************************Jeff Berkowitz: Hope you enjoyed this visit with President George W. Bush. If you’re watching it in the suburbs, you’ve got three weeks until election day, November 7th. And, if you’re watching it in the city, you’ve got two weeks until election day, November 7th. And the question is-- on election day, can the President and Karl Rove-- Can they do it one more time? Can they keep the Senate and House Republican? Do they have a good “October surprise” in store for the Democrats? Can they turn the buzz across the country back to prosperity and national security? Can they emphasize that there’s been no terrorist attack on U.S. soil since September 11th? Can they claim some of the credit for that for the Republicans? Is the economy strong and can they claim that for the Republicans? Can they argue that the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism, winning it with their allies? Can they argue that Iraq, difficult as is, was a good move for national security? The answers to those questions will determine if the House and the Senate stay Republican—[that is] they keep the Democrats from getting the fifteen seats necessary to turn the House Republican, and the six seats necessary to turn the Senate Democratic.

We discuss, you decide. If it’s politics, it’s Public Affairs. See you next week. *****************************************************From Tonight's airing on Public Affairs of President Bush funder on October 12, 2006 in Chicago for Congressional Candidates Roskam and McSweeney, as it will air at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 throughout the City of Chicago. See here for a complete transcript of the President's Remarks. *********************************************************In twenty-five North Shore, North and Northwest suburbs, the "Public Affairs," show airs tomorrow night in the regular weekly Public Affairs slot, 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 or 35 on Tuesday night, as indicated, below.

In ten North Shore suburbs, the show is also airing in its regular airing slot at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Ch. 19 this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, as indicated, below. ******************************************************The suburban episode of Public Affairs, featuring portions of the WBEZ 6th CD debate and pressers , airs tomorrow night: